General Knowledge (GK) is an important part of the syllabus for CLAT exam, it actually contributes a lot to the overall scoring and percentile of the candidate in the exam. CLAT 2026 complete guide suggests that the GK section of the exam tests history, geography, polity, economy, environment knowledge covering important legal events as well as dynamic knowledge through current affairs associated with national and international patterns. This article provides students with top GK books for CLAT preparation
However, as the CLAT exam from 2020 onwards has moved much more to comprehension-based and analytical questions, aspirants must rely on best GK books for CLAT that provide the depth of facts with current information associated with it. While the importance of daily newspapers and monthly magazines can't be undermined, the standard General Knowledge Book for CLAT too is equally important for systematic preparation.
For static topics, we strongly advocate for the following titles, "Lucent's General Knowledge", "Manorama Yearbook" and "General Knowledge by Arihant". For dynamic or current affairs and annual updates from the government, we recommend 'Pratiyogita Darpan" and "India Year Book". For aspirants preparing for CLAT exam, alternating between these sources of information will make balance in preparation, while not neglecting your ability to attempt direct and application based GK questions in the exam. Refer to the following to learn more about the CLAT GK books for 2026.
GK Books for CLAT
Students preparing for CLAT 2026 may refer to the following table to check out some of the best and commonly recommended books for preparation of CLAT.
Category | Book Title / Resource | Author / Publisher | Key Features |
Static GK | Lucent’s General Knowledge | Lucent Publications | One of the most popular GK books; covers history, polity, geography, economy, science. |
Static GK | General Knowledge | Arihant Experts | Concise facts, objective Qs for practice, ideal for quick revisions. |
Static GK | Pearson General Knowledge Manual | Edgar Thorpe | Comprehensive coverage with detailed explanations and practice sets. |
Static GK | General Studies Manual | McGraw Hill | Extensive coverage of Indian polity, history, geography, economy, and science. |
Static GK | Objective General Knowledge | Sanjiv Kumar (Lucent) | Compact version, helpful for last-minute revision. |
Current Affairs | Manorama Yearbook | Malayala Manorama | Annual compilation of national & international events, government schemes. |
Current Affairs | Pratiyogita Darpan (Monthly Magazine) | PD Group | Monthly updates on politics, economy, law, and world affairs. |
Current Affairs | India Year Book | Publications Division, GOI | Official data on government schemes, policies, and national statistics. |
Current Affairs | Competition Success Review (CSR) | CSR Group | Covers a mix of static GK, interviews, and updated current affairs. |
Current Affairs | The Hindu (Daily Newspaper) | The Hindu Group | Best source for legal updates, editorials, and international relations. |
Current Affairs | The Indian Express (Daily Newspaper) | Indian Express Group | Strong focus on economy, governance, and editorials for comprehension-based Qs. |
Current Affairs | Economic & Political Weekly (EPW) | EPW Research Foundation | Excellent for analytical articles on law, economy, and politics. |
Combined Prep | Arihant Current Affairs Yearly | Arihant Publications | Covers yearly current events with MCQs for practice. |
Combined Prep | Lucent’s Objective GK | Lucent Publications | MCQs combining static and dynamic GK for self-assessment. |
Combined Prep | General Knowledge 2025 | Manohar Pandey (Arihant) | Updated annual GK with facts + current affairs. |
Combined Prep | Pratiyogita Kiran (Monthly) | Kiran Publications | Mix of static GK, government schemes, and monthly current updates. |
Combined Prep | Competition Review Yearbook | CSR Group | Annual reference for static + current events. |
Combined Prep | Chronicle Yearbook | Civil Services Chronicle | Useful for static topics + updated events with legal relevance. |
Combined Prep | Yojana (Magazine) | Government of India | Insights into government schemes, policies, and social issues. |
Combined Prep | Kurukshetra (Magazine) | Government of India | Focused on rural development, agriculture, and economy – useful for CLAT GK. |
General Knowledge Book for CLAT | Preparation Tips
- To remain aware of recent events, read a good newspaper every day, such as Hindustan Times, The Hindu or The Indian Express.
- Keep a notebook to jot down important events, government schemes and international news.
- You need to repeat static GK subjects such as history, polity, geography, economy and environment.
- For static subjects, use standard books, like lucents general knowledge or Arihant GK.
- For current affairs, read monthly magazines like Pratiyogita Darpan or Manorama Yearbook.
- You should take practice papers that are previous year’s question papers of CLAT, these papers can give you an idea of how questions related to GK will be asked.
- For legal current affairs, pay attention to recent judgments, recent amendments and important bills.
- Always make short notes and revise them weekly, this will help you revise and will help you remember information better.
- Do online quizzes and practice papers to evaluate your preparation.
- Continue to revise both static and current affairs on a regular basis so as not to forget older topics.
